Perfect timing

[TC Chris]

I figure that some of you may appreciate this phenomenon. This winter when the big snow hit us, I checked my oil change interval on the good red truck and found I was right at about 10K, which is when I change now with Mobil 1 and mostly highway driving. But "deleted", we just had a huge snowfall, and it was cold out, and the holidays.... So I figured I'd just run a few K over 10 thou and do it in the spring.

Then all the snow melted, and our temps have been in the 30s, and yesterday over 40. So did I change the oil yesterday in the sunshine? No, of course not. I waited until today, a holiday at work, when it was at least upper 30s, but raining. It started raining when I headed to the store to buy the oil & filter. It kept raining while was slithering around on the driveway under the truck. Then just about the time I was done under the truck it stopped. Of course.

So now the nice red truck has fresh oil for another 10K miles, at which point it will be over 200K. It will be my first. Other vehicles have always been rusty or wrecked before hitting 200. This one has that wonderful little 2.3 liter DOHC 4 cyl. engine, clearly the best engine I've ever had. After almost 200K miles it still doesn't need a quart of oil until about 8K. It starts quickly and flawlessly and dependably. It goes 100K between spark plug changes. Thank you, Ford engineers.

By the way, y'all scared me about the tapered seat pugs. The truck is weeping a bit from the water pump so I'll have the shop next to my office change that out, and probably have them change the plugs too. If they break one off they'll have an extractor to deal with it. At least I can still change the oil myself.

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

I use to change the oil on all my vehicles myself .... but since i work for a dealership I get a discount , they always encourage me to use synthetic oil...I have never used it, only the wife's car does because that is what the factory calls for... my pick-up is a 12 , and the manual also calls for synthetic , but from day one I have used conventional oil because, I do change it every 3k or 3 months ... synthetic is too expensive to do that , and these claims of going 10k miles or more on a synthetic is ludicrous... mfgs tell you that so you can blow up your motor quicker and to go buy something else ...I get hassles from quick oil change places on my pick-up because they pull the dipstick and the oil still looks like new after 3k miles and they don't want to change it... most cars today are designed to go to the crusher in a decade now ... can't have a robust economy if we don't have a throw away society ....also what is 0/20 weight oil?.... zero viscosity to me would be water ....IMO

[TC Chris]

Well, as noted, my Ranger approaches 200K with no oil burning, no engine noises, and good performance, all on synthetic Mobil 1 5W-20 changed every 10K miles. The Mustang has been on Mobil 1 10W-30, with 10 or 12K change intervals since the unfortunate flood incident/rebuilt engine in 1995 and it has always used a quart of oil every 6K or so miles. Modern engines are so superior to the old ones in terms of engineering, manufacturing tolerances, weight, and durability.

I follow Ford's recommendations for all fluids. Saturday I headed out to buy some Ford Gold antifreeze, the official Ford spec variety for the Ranger, together with some distilled water. It allows extended change intervals. Judging by price they call it Gold because that's the major ingredient. But the change intervals make the overall cost tolerable, and with an aluminum engine, I don't want to be second-guessing the engineers. This will be my third antifreeze change (original plus one previous drain/refill).

And as to the crusher.... Michigan is a real test for durability with our cold winters and salt on the roads. When I was a kid, cars commonly perforated from rust after 3 years and it was rare to see a ten year old car on the road. They did not live that long. Now they seem to last forever. My Ranger, 18 years old this year, perforated 2 years ago. It's had some front-suspension joints replaced, a couple front wheel bearings, and a couple U-joints. Still going strong. We no longer have to deal with "tune ups" or other fiddling. The Ranger is on its second set of spark plugs, ready for the third. This is absolutely a golden age for automotive longevity and performance. When I was a young guy, NOBODY had an 18 year old car as a daily driver.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Rangers seem to be an exception. My 1994 Ranger is still going strong, but it does have many holes in the body do to rust. Wasn't Ranger part of the partnership between Ford and Mazada? I seem to remember that the Ranger was more Mazada than Ford. If you look at the full-size Ford, GM, and Dodge pickups you will find plenty of missing rocker panels as well cab corners that have holes in them. I'm also hearing from very reliable sources that Ford 150 pickups have frame rusting problems. I guess anything to make them cheaper and lighter. Very sad!

Bill

[19&41]

I always change my own oil with synthetic. about 3 changes a year between my 2 vehicles. I usually get the oil and filter at Walmart and it runs about $30.

[electra225]

I run Mobil 1 in everything I own, including the Buick. I heard all kinds of horror stories about using synthetic oil in old cars. The problem I was having was dry starts. It sets more than I drive it, like most old cars. The lifters rattled like a 292 Ford when I started it. I was using Shell Rotella diesel-spec oil so I could get the zinc for flat lifters. That is another old wives tale for another time. I started using Mobil 1 in the Buick and have yet to hear a lifter since I put it in two years ago. I change the oil every two years whether it needs it or not, probably having maybe 1000 miles on it. I change oil at 5000 miles in the old Tahoe and the Mini. I am not a fan of running any engine , except maybe a heavy duty diesel with a Luberfiner on it, 10,000 miles between oil changes. Kudos to those who do and get by with it. Even synthetic oil is cheaper than an engine. I run 10W30 in the Buick and 5W30 in the other two. None use any oil between changes. The Mini specs 0w20 oil, but I think that's too thin for the desert. The Mini book says 5w-or 10w-30 is acceptable for "extreme conditions".. The Mini uses a plastic oil filter housing. Half the engine is plastic. I don't see any leaks on the engine in the Buick due to synthetic oil. Most everybody in this part of the country uses synthetics in the engine, trans and rear end. Putting $8 a quart synthetic trans fluid in a Dynaflow is a fool's errand.....

I read the other day where some OTR fleets run 100,000 miles oil change intervals, running synthetic oil in low-rpm diesels, equipped with Luberfiners. A Luberfiner is a fancy chrome housing oil filter that holds 2 gallons of extra oil, typically mounted in the air stream so it serves as an oil cooler.

[TC Chris]

The lifters rattled like a 292 Ford when I started it. I was using Shell Rotella diesel-spec oil so I could get the zinc for flat lifters. That is another old wives tale for another time. I

My Mustang typically sits all winter because it is allergic to salt. Sometimes on start-up I'll get a momentary lifter rattle, but that's mostly because as a fuel injected, electronic-ignition engine, it starts as soon as you crank. No revolutions on the starter to get the oil pumping.

And for oil-change intervals, have you ever done an oil analysis? I've never done it but think about it from time to time. The big enemy of engines is blow-by and condensation, both of which dump bad acid stuff into the crankcase oil. Here where it's cold in the winter, short trips are really hard on engines. Cold engine = blow-by and condensation. Cars driven a lot that way can end up with oil looking like coffee-with-cream, not the good black coffee that came out of my Ranger today. Where you are, running cold is not much of a problem.... Given the price of the synthetics, an analysis might save you money

And finally, do tell about the zinc-enhanced oils. The guy who rebuilt the Chevy engine said to use Valvoline racing oil for the zinc, and I kinda assumed it was a valve-seat thing; didn't think about the lifters. The Chevy is not going to live a very hard life, having suffered through the three teenagers in earlier life. And given the number of miles it will be driven, it will take along time to degrade. I'm as close to 100 as I am to 50, so I can do the math. I could probably get away with the Sears non-detergent 30 weight that I bought in a 5-gal. can for the '38 Buick!

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

Valve recession was more due to low lead, not a big issue for lightly used vintage engines not pushed too hard. But as
far as I know the zinc in oil for flat tappets is a real thing, I've done a lot of research on this in the last 10 years, "Bob the Oil guy" is a good site for info. I think it was Iskendarian or Crane cams who did very extensive research on this, as has Shell and other oil Cos. That cam Co. was getting a lot of reports of wiped cam lobes on brand new cams in flat tappet V8s right about when the EPA req'mnts started dictating a big drop in Zinc in the oil ratings over the years. It's been pretty well documented over many years now in a lot of properly done scientific research ie: double-blind randomized peer reviewed papers, but remember this pertains to vintage type engines only, not newer roller low-friction engines. Lightly stressed lower mileage used older engines may get away with low ZInc, but not a chance I'm taking. The right oil isn't all that expensive.

I use only Brad Penn "Penn Grade 1 ("The Green Oil") high ZDDP oil 10w30 in my Olds. Brad Penn used to be Kendall Oil in Bradfoprd PA. Porsche Club people use it extensively and they're absolutely the most anal car nuts ever, worse even than Ferraristas! In the '07 Mustang dohc V6 we use semi-synthetic 05w20 as recommended by Ford, I like Valvoline. In the 2 Xterras we also use 10w30 semi-synthetic Valvoline. Every car is changed + Wix filter every 3000 miles, except for the '69 Olds, which is changed every season regardless of miles (less than 500 usually). None of them use any oil; the Olds 350 is new, the '11 X has 72k, the 'Stang has 62k, but the amazing '05 Xterra has 203k and uses not 1 drop between oil changes, and the oil is barely turning brown. I'd rather spend $ on oil than engines.

BTW the Nissan dohc 4 valve variable valve timed variable-intake direct injection VQ V6 4.0 is an incredible engine, 270 real horsepower, it was on Ward's "10 Best Engines" for about 10 years, longer than any other engine EVER! It's burning zero oil, and pushes that 4500 lb brick with 20-21 mpg on the hwy, and when I stomp on it to pass it growls and moves! Same engine essentially as on the "Z" cars and Nissan's racing cars! ! after 17 years with it I now know why it was on that list! When I buy a car the engine it has is priority #1. The German engine in the 'Stang is excellent, but the Nissans is better, I wish it was in the Ford!

Wiki:
"The VQ is a family of V6 24V automobile engines developed by Nissan with displacements varying from 2.0 L to 4.0 L. It is an aluminum block DOHC 4-valve (per cylinder) design with aluminum heads. It is fitted with Nissan's EGI/ECCS sequential multi-point fuel injection (MPFI) system. Later versions feature various implementations of variable valve timing and replace MPFI with direct fuel injection (marketed as NEO-Di). The VQ series engine was honored by Ward's 10 Best Engines list almost every year from the list's inception."

As for winter only the '05 X gets used, the other 3 are garage queens due to NY salt. NY has a "Dry Roads Policy" which means they dump salt when 1 flake hits the road. Within 1 day after a major dump main roads are just wet, and the cars turn white in no time. Next day the main roads are dry. Good thing the '05 is already white, and the rust around the rear wheel opening getting bigger every year. Oh well, we need winter beaters here, and that's it.

[TC Chris]

As to the camshaft thing... My '86 Mustang has roller tappets to deal with the issue. Last night I fell into an Olds rabbit hole and learned that my '65 Starfire had larger lifter bores because it had a camshaft unique to that model, and the larger lifters allowed higher cam "ramp speed." Quoting Wikipedia:

"The second generation of Oldsmobile V8s was produced from 1964-1990. .... The big-block engines initially used a forged crankshaft with a stroke of 3.975" for the 1965-1967 425 and 400 CID versions....

The 425 cu in (7.0 L) big-block was the first tall-deck "big block," produced from 1965 through 1967. It is arguably the best engine Olds made in the muscle car era, although it never made it into a "muscle car". It used a 4.126 in (104.8 mm) bore and 3.975 in (101.0 mm) stroke. ....All 425 engines were fitted with forged steel crankshafts with harmonic balancers.

Starfire
A special 1965-1967 425 cu in (7.0 L) V8 was the Starfire engine. The main distinguishing features of this engine were a slightly different camshaft profile from the standard ultra high compression engine and factory dual exhaust. This engine was only available in the Oldsmobile Starfire and a performance economy model called the Jetstar I. It shared the same compression ratio of the Toronado Rocket at 10.5:1. It also used the .921 in lifter bore size of the Toronado Rocket.

Toronado Rocket
An Ultra High Compression Toronado Rocket version of the 425 cu in (7.0 L) V8 was made for the 1966 Toronado. It had the same 0.921 in (23.4 mm)-diameter lifters of the first-generation Oldsmobile engines, rather than the standard 0.842 in (21.4 mm), which let engineers increase the camshaft's ramp speed for more power...."

I knew it had a fancy cam, and back in 1971 I found a book in the Ann Arbor public library that had the actual cam specs. But geez, forged steel crank, big lifters, special cam, maybe I ought to be getting this car on the road.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Your '38 Buick has a forged crankshaft as well. All Buick engines from the earliest days had forged crankshafts.

There have been so many things that were supposed to kill old cars. Unleaded gas was supposed to burn up the valves, R-12 deletion was supposed to kill the air conditioners, radial tires were supposed to break ball joints, on and on. None of it came true, and, in fact, most of the changes actually enhanced the life of the older cars. Doing away with lead was the best thing that ever happened to car engines. The lead used to eat mufflers on my Buick in about two years. The system on there now has been in use 23 years and is good as it was when I put it on. And eliminating zinc was supposed to kill the camshaft. Okay fine. But I use Mobil 1 and will just replace the camshaft if and when it needs it. No more than I run it, that will be awhile yet, hopefully. Mobil 1 10W30 has an SL rating, which indicates it is suitable for flat tappet engines. There are several flavors of Mobil 1. If it quiets the lifters, it has to be lubricating better.

[MEZLAW]

I love my Fords!

I have a 1996 Ranger XLT with extended cab, 4 cyc and manual 5 spd. I used to change my own oil and do my own repairs but I got old!

On the newer cars I run synthetic oil. I learned with my 1997 Taurus, don't put heavy oil in them! I think it called for 10W30 and I used Castrol 20W50 as I have in my older vehicles. BIG MISTAKE!!!!! It caused a lot of crankcase pressure and forced the oil pan gaskets out causing a leak. Ford had a service bulletin about heavy oil doing this to the pan gasket. The 1997 Taurus went to 276K miles when the torque converter let go. I also have a 2005 Taurus I no longer use and will most likely sell, it's at 236K miles. My 2016 Fusion runs on what looks like sewing machine oil.

[Firedome]

Agree with Greg, in 90% of cases reducing lead did engines and valves (no build up) a favor, however it has been documented that in extreme heat/stress conditions some engines did suffer from valve recession/seat degradation. In normal driving it's not a problem evidently. Remember back in the '60s AMOCO advertised their no-lead gas (forget the brand name?), and I used it often in my '63 Ford 352 lo-po to no effect for years, although I was a conservative driver, so that may not prove much!

[19&41]

One thing about synthetics I always pay attention to is the labeling indicating for high mileage engines. I remembered reading about them when they first came out about they had additives to swell non metallic seals in the engine to reduce leakage. I tried a couple of changes in a '83 Bronco II I had. It reduced the spotting on the driveway. Then I used the regular Mobil 1 and it began to leak more and more before the next change. It appeared as though the seals swelled, wore a bit, then shrank. I've been leery of using the high mileage stuff since.